


grounded

by bestabsoluteduelist



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Fear of Flying, Gen, SuperCorp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-25 20:17:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13842231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bestabsoluteduelist/pseuds/bestabsoluteduelist
Summary: Kara and Lena have very different reactions to airplanes. Soft, Lena's-afraid-of-flying drabble.





	grounded

**Author's Note:**

> I was on a long flight with a friend who's kinda afraid of takeoffs, wrote this on my phone to pass the time. Enjoy!

Kara wriggles in her seat as though she’ll be able to stretch the seat out and give herself more room. Lena quirks a smile, teasing and knowing. 

“Comfortable?”

“No,” Kara grumbles. She’s used to bouncing and roaming like an enthusiastic puppy. Buckled into an airplane seat, even a relatively spacious one on the CatCo company jet, she's like a dog in a crate, whining and miserable. “Ugh. I hate planes.” 

“It's a short flight,” Lena offers, and Kara mumbles something that sounds suspiciously like ‘for you’ but otherwise says nothing and attempts to sit still. 

The pilot runs through their itinerary and the plane lurches forward. At the actual movement, Kara starts to settle and presses against the window, tapping her black frames against the glass. 

Their taxi is brief and as the plane rounds the bend on the runway, Kara is distracted from her intense survey of their takeoff by someone’s very fast heartbeat. 

Someone's. As if she didn't know that Lena’s heart was the only one that stood out to her.

The CEO's face is a pristine mask of indifference. Lena looks about as worried about their flight as Kara does about whether or not she can finish an entire pizza. Keyword, looks. The reporters eyes flick down to the hand rest where Lena’s knuckles are the slightest bit whiter than usual and grip the plastic with more force than is entirely necessary. 

Kara leans back against the window. Lena’s emotional walls are high and sturdy, and a year of whirlwind friendship isn't enough to climb over a lifetime of betrayal and deceit. Hiding her fear of flying isn't about mistrust. It's habit. It's fear of showing weakness. It's her coping mechanism.

And maybe some of Lena's subtlety is running off on the plucky superhero, because instead of interrogating her friend, instead of bowling her over with affection and comfort, Kara lets her have her privacy, and trains her eyes on the rapidly departing ground.

Lena takes a sharp breath through her nose as the plane tilts to the side. Kara can't help but glance, and Lena’s eyes are very focused on the wall in front of her. 

Without calling attention to it, Kara casually flips her right palm up and waggles her fingers once.  And she stares out the window. 

After two beats, there is a tight grip on her hand, and the heartbeat slows its tempo ever the slightest. 


End file.
